New Study Shows Some Tanning Salon Customers Are "Addicted"

Chicago - A new study of more than 200 young people who go to tanning salons shows a third meet the clinical definition for an addict: They think about tanning first thing in the morning, they've tried to cut back and failed, and they feel guilty about it.

Dr. William Scheftner is a psychiatrist in Chicago. He compares tanning to cocaine, marijuana and other stimulants. Researchers found that exposure to UV rays stimulates the same pleasure centers in the brain as a drug dependency.

"It's not about appearance," he said. "It's about the way the experience makes them feel."

Marc Winner runs the Soleil Tanning Salon in the West Loop, and even he knows some of his clients are overdoing it. "They're here every day and they're very dark."